This paper describes an example of a bilateral training programme for senior managers in the Civil Service of Uganda, the Senior Management Programme, which was designed and delivered by the British Royal Institute of Public Administration in September 1988 and again in April 1989. It assesses the impact of the programme and identifies the main features behind its success: the support of the Ugandan top management; the nomination of high potential candidates and their continued stay in office; and the presence of a strong counterpart organization to ensure high quality inputs and support to trainees after they have completed the programme. These points are generalized in a model of effective training which illustrates the need to integrate training with its internal and external context to maximize its benefit. Finally, it is proposed that monitoring and evaluation have a key role in ensuring programmes of this kind serve the purposes for which they are designed. App., bibliogr.